Eye to Eye Chapter President (aka Club President)
I am President of Eye to Eye's Chapman University chapter. Eye to Eye is a group of Chapman University students who have been diagnosed with some type of learning difference such as ADHD, Dyslexia, Processing Deficit Disorders, Memory Deficit Disorders, etc. Weekly, we travel to a local school and work with children who have also been diagnosed with learning differences. We use art projects to teach them about the strengths of their learning differences and how to overcome the challenges and stigma associated with them. We also help them build self-confidence, create friendships, and develop grit.
October is National ADHD Awareness month. So, in order to raise awareness, last fall I shared my LD story on social media.
From pre-k up until about 2nd grade, I was the "perfect student". I was the teacher’s pet. I was quiet, shy, and I loved learning. I was curious about everything. In first grade, I had trouble staying focused and my parents took me in for psychological testing. I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD without hyperactivity) but not medicated. Second grade came around and my teacher began to give out vocabulary quizzes. No matter how much I studied my flashcards I could never get a good score on tests and quizzes. She chastised me. She told me I was doing something wrong and led me to believe that I simply wasn’t as intelligent as my classmates and my friends because my test scores were much lower than theirs. I couldn’t accept this. So, to keep from failing I studied twice as hard as everyone else. While my friends were out playing, I was stuck inside my room 5 hours a night studying math, grammar, science, history, geography, spelling, etc. just trying to stay afloat. 3rd grade came about and I had a teacher that believed in me. She saw me for more than my test scores and gave me confidence again. 5th grade marked a turning point for me. I had a teacher who saw I was struggling. He spoke to my parents and recommended they medicate me. So, middle school came around. By this time, I was on medication. I was thriving! I was so happy! My grades improved and my self-confidence was back! I was doing better in school than I ever thought possible. Now onto High School, 9th grade began and I noticed that my medication helped me to focus but I was still extremely forgetful, I had a hard time finishing tasks, and I was unable to memorize things, no matter how long I studied. My teachers were confused, as was I. Why was I able to focus and participate in class, but would then bomb a written test? The summer after 9th grade I went back for more psychological testing. I was diagnosed with Long-Term Memory Deficit Disorder and Short-Term Memory Deficit Disorder. That diagnosis explained everything. These deficit disorders are something I have had to learn to manage for the last 20 years and I deal with them every single day. My whole life, I have had teachers accuse me of cheating, tell me I am not good enough and tell me that I am not smart. Every time someone told me that, instead of cowering, I did everything in my power to prove them wrong. I am proud of my LDs because I know that they have made me a stronger person. It is because of my LDs that I have had to develop fierce strength, confidence, and resilience in the face of adversity. This is why I am proud to be a part of the LD community and proud to be a leader in the Eye to Eye community.